After I-69 report, INDOT bars opinions in public documents

State transportation officials have a new edict for construction supervisors and engineers: No more opinions in public documents.

The edict came down after a February investigation by The Indianapolis Star used just such documents to raise questions about a high-ranking transportation official who intervened in an I-69 bridge project.

Indiana Department of Transportation Chief of Staff Troy Woodruff ordered other officials to rebuild the approaches to a rural bridge - at a taxpayer cost of $770,444 - after his relatives complained they could not cross it with their farm equipment without employing a flagger.

In daily construction diaries, Project Supervisor Tom Brummett groused that "the Troy Woodruff Re-Do" project was not needed, and that it benefited only a couple of Woodruff's relatives. For months, INDOT officials have declined to comment.

Yet, earlier this month, Mark Miller, INDOT's director of construction management, sent a memo to his staff alerting them to a policy change.

"All information that is necessary for complete documentation of project construction should be reported factually without addition of personal opinions, editorial comments or criticisms of individuals, companies or INDOT," the new policy states.

Instead of writing their concerns, supervisors and engineers are urged to "discuss" them with their higher-ups. The policy also urged such restraint in daily diaries, in emails and in responding to requests for information from members of the public and reporters.

Brummett continues to work at INDOT. Woodruff does, too, though he remains under investigation by the state's Inspector General over his and his family's involvement in various land dealings on I-69.

Donnelly moves out of temporary digs

No more paper sign and basement office. Months after being sworn in, Sen. Joe Donnelly finally has real office space.

The Indiana Democrat moved into his new digs on the seventh floor of one of the three Senate office buildings Tuesday.

Unlike House members who get their new offices right away - thanks to the departing members being moved to temporary spaces after the election - new senators get housed in makeshift spaces until their number comes up in the office lottery.

Donnelly spokeswoman Elizabeth Shappell said the temporary office had its advantages; it was close to vending machines and to the tram that leads to the Capitol.

"Yet everyone is enjoying the new space because we can now host more Hoosiers visiting the senator or touring Washington, including weekly Hoosier Hospitality coffees for everyone visiting from Indiana starting next month," Shappell said.

FBI makes its presence known

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is one of government's most secretive agencies. It seldom reveals information about ongoing investigations and never does it for the record.

Last Tuesday, the Indianapolis FBI was about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

Parked smack-dab in the middle of the half-circle driveway on Market Street in front of the City-County Building at 9 a.m. was an extra-large FBI truck. It looked like a cross between a bio-hazard vehicle and SWAT team van. It had the FBI name and insignia on the side panels and doors.

People stared at it, took pictures, speculated about what it was and why it was there.

The truck would be hauling away 35 boxes of evidence from the city's Department of Metropolitan Development. Two employees and three others had been arrested in connection with an alleged scam to profit from the sale of abandoned properties.

The scene at the DMD's office on the 20th floor was hectic. A gaggle of frenzied TV cameramen, photographers and reporters had gathered in the tight hallway, hoping to talk with someone with the city and get pictures of FBI agents.

The G-men didn't disappoint.

Soon, grim-faced agents pushing handcarts and lugging boxes were popping off the elevators and back on again with their booty. Each step of the way they were trailed by the media throng like paparazzi on Hollywood Boulevard.

By the afternoon, the truck was gone, but its appearance had been instructive; if you ever see an oversized FBI truck in front of a city or state government building, chances are something big is going down.

A push to protect anonymous sources

As a member of Congress, Mike Pence championed a federal "media shield" law to prevent reporters from having to disclose their sources.

As governor of Indiana, he's now lobbying for it.

Pence sent a letter last week to legislative leaders and Indiana's congressional delegation urging them to pass the media shield law he has sought for several years

The issue has new impetus in the wake of disclosures that the federal Department of Justice got secret subpoenas for Associated Press and Fox News phone lines in an investigation into the leaking of government documents.

"As a conservative who believes in limited government, I know the only check on government power in real time is a free and independent press," Pence wrote in the letter.

Now, reporters haven't always been Republicans' favorite people. Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin routinely mocks what she calls the "lame-stream media." And at GOP national political conventions, buttons such as "Impeach the Press" and "Don't believe the liberal media!" have been popular.

Pence, a former TV and radio talk show host, has consistently sought legislation to protect the media's ability to do its job. The goal, he said in his letter, is not about "protecting journalists; rather, it is about protecting the public's right to know."

Talking to the Statehouse press corps last week, Pence said he got involved in the issue after watching someone on television say that a TV commentator should be prosecuted for not revealing his sources.

"I ended up going back to the House Judiciary Committee and asking about the legal protections that existed. I think the ability of the press to protect confidential sources is essential to the newsgathering process," he said. "I was surprised to find out five years ago that while most states, including Indiana, protect a reporter's ability to keep sources confidential, there's no federal media shield at the national level."

Pence said the legislation he filed passed the House of Representatives twice, and came close to passing again in his final term in Congress.

"I do think the allegations of overreach by the Justice Department in this case argue very strongly for the adoption of a federal media statute and I strongly support it," Pence said. "I think the only check on government power in real time is a free and independent press. The press at every level, and most especially the national level, ought to be able to collect information in the public interest from confidential sources and keep those sources confidential, except where national security issues are concerned."

Now, the Justice Department says that this case was about national security. Given that, the law Pence wants might not have stopped the federal government from pursuing its investigation in this case. But, Pence said, until a law is passed, the only protection journalists, and the public, have are "guidelines" in the Justice Department.

"I don't think that's sufficient," Pence said. "We ought to enshrine in the law at the federal level protections that allow the Fourth Estate to do its job."

An Indy 500 victory - without the milk

There were some big wheels in the governor's office last week.

Literally.

Giant racing tires were rolled in to set the stage for Gov. Pence's ceremonial signing of legislation that gives a financial boost to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Pence had earlier given the official OK to House Enrolled Act 1544. But on Thursday he held the ceremonial signing with lawmakers who were involved in the passage of the bill and motor-sports figures, including Mark Miles, the CEO of the Speedway.

Disappointingly, they didn't drink milk and pour it over each other when Pence signed the bill, as drivers do when they win the 500.

The bill gives the Speedway $100 million over 20 years to finance improvements. The money is considered a loan that will be paid back by the growth in sales and income taxes at the Speedway, and the IMS also pays $2 million annually for the bond payments. The bill also allows $5 million annually as low-interest loans to 48 other Indiana tracks and motor-sports businesses.

"Motor sports has a rich history and an even brighter future in the State of Indiana," Pence said. "Let's just put it bluntly. Indiana is today and will remain the motor-sports capital of the world."

Lest it look as if the governor was picking a favorite team, driver or sponsor for the 500-mile Race, the other props positioned on a desk for the signing - little racing helmets and cars - were plain white.

It was a teachable moment for media

An editor at The Herald Bulletin in Anderson no doubt wishes he would have pondered a little before posting a Facebook commentary that called into question the wisdom of the Oklahoma tornado victims - many of whom were still suffering the effects of the deadly storm.

The controversial post on Tuesday immediately drew dozens of angry responses from readers who called it insensitive and bad timing.

Scott Underwood, editor of the paper, confirmed the post was written by an editor, not a reporter. And nobody will be punished.

But, Underwood said, it would be used "as a teaching point for the importance of choosing words carefully in social media. The core of the question posed by the status update was legitimate and important, but the wording was insensitive."

Was it insensitive? You be the judge. Here is the original post:

"The folks in OK had some 30 to 40 minutes preparation. You would think that places like Moore would emphasize each building having shelters, especially in schools, which would have saved lives. It's like not enough lifeboats on the Titanic. Was the community in denial or just cheap?"

After many complained, the newspaper took down the post and issued an apology on Facebook to "anyone who may have been offended."

But even that apology drew more than 90 additional responses on Wednesday.

Here is a sampling:

"Anyone with a heart thought it was insensitive. Questioning what could have been done differently to prevent loss of life is perfectly acceptable. Blaming the community before they've barely had a chance to crawl out from under the rubble is cold."

"Indiana is ranked 3rd in the nation for rude people. With that being said, I'm proud to be from Oklahoma!!"

"It was a valid question. People need to get over it."

"Freedom of speech just means you won't be prosecuted for what you say. It doesn't mean you won't be persecuted when you say something dumb."

Fisher takes another turn toward degree

To pursue her racing career, Fisher had put the brakes on college. She chose the Indy Racing League over Ohio State University. Later, a second shot at classes through Butler University didn't win her a diploma.

Now Fisher, who in 2000, at age 19, became the youngest woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, has gone back to the books through Western Governors University Indiana.

Billing itself as the state's eighth university, the nonprofit online school awards credits based on competency, which may help the 32-year-old Fisher accelerate toward a degree.